Very entertaining AO so far?

It's sad that Rafa isn't here (yes it sounds like I'm lying because Rafa is troublesome for Roger) but so far, this AO has been so entertaining.

Maybe the best AO in awhile?

6. Anderson def. Verdasco in 5 --> I loved Anderson's striking.

5. Simon def. Monfils in 5 --> Pushfest but so much drama. A french royale of clashing willpower. Both were physically not at their best...

4. Chardy def. Del Potro in 5 --> Chardy does some beserk ballstriking against a Del Potro who was heading towards end of 2012/ start of 2013 in brilliant form having recorded 2 victories against Roger in indoor tournaments.

3. David Ferrer def. Almagro in 5--> The 4th seed gets tested and overcomes Almagro with a 2 set deficit and Almagro had many chances to serve out the match. A superb comeback from one of the best defenders.

2. Federer def. Tsonga in 5 --> I won't lie... Tsonga really scared me... He was winning close to 90% of rallies over 9 points and really took it to Roger with aggressiveness. The 2nd seed really was tested. Roger was lucky in some ways because could have gone either way. Tsonga played stunning tennis in terms of baseline exchanges but Roger's variety saved him. Roger Rasheed has really lifted up his game and I have a feeling he might break through at perhaps the FO or Wimby. But, I'm happy Roger won.

1. Novak Djokovic def. Wawrinka in 5 --> So the 1st seed was tested first before Ferrer and Federer were tested with 5 setters. Djokovic is simply the god of absolute defence... He can push back 90% of supposed winners that comes at him.... The crowd was really excited.. Match could have gone either way but pushing was once again faithful for Novak and makes an epic 5 setter once again... Wawrinka's display of backhands was probably the best you'll ever see in awhile... The best match of this AO for sure and maybe top 3 match at least for the year.

I hope David Ferrer vs Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray vs Roger Federer will live up to expectations.... Hopefully, even better than these matches...

So the four top men's seeds reach the semis. This tournament has, in a way, typified the way mens tennis is right now. Leaving Ferrer aside, the only way anyone outside the top three can come close to beating one of them in a GS is by hitting a real purple patch (as Wawrinka did against Djokovic) and even then it doesn't guarantee victory. Other than that, the top three swat the others aside like so many bugs that seem to invade the courts in Melbourne.

Ferrer is in the semis because he has taken over the mantle Murray had until his 2012 breakthrough year - excellent player, knocking on the door but never quite regarded as in the same league. Unfortunately, Ferrer neither has the in depth game, confidence nor time on his side to break through into the real elite club which the top three have made for themselves.

I've deliberately left Nadal out of the above analysis as I'm talking about the here and now. If/when he comes back and if/when he comes back strong then the dynamics may shift.

I've been loving it. My only complaint is geography...I hate having to either miss the night matches or get up at 4:00 in the morning for them. I'll be doing that tonight for the Djokovic-Ferrer match, and it's making me dread it just a bit.

Another match I really enjoyed was the Janowicz-Devvarman match. Coming back from two sets down is always fun to watch.

I've been loving it. My only complaint is geography...I hate having to either miss the night matches or get up at 4:00 in the morning for them. I'll be doing that tonight for the Djokovic-Ferrer match, and it's making me dread it just a bit.

Another match I really enjoyed was the Janowicz-Devvarman match. Coming back from two sets down is always fun to watch.

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I have the same time zone issues, but I think it's great that it means the game is so global; and feel really lucky to have two Slams that are time-zone compatible with where I live!

Exactly! And it lit up the tournament the quality of hitting from him and Fed! Isner would have done this in abundance! He beat both Federer and Tsonga with huge serve/forehand combo in the Davis Cup last year!

I have the same time zone issues, but I think it's great that it means the game is so global; and feel really lucky to have two Slams that are time-zone compatible with where I live!

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And I have to admit there's something fun about getting up at 4:00 in the morning for tennis. It's one of those silly little things that makes me feel like a "real" fan. Much better than the tape-delay broadcasts.

And I have to admit there's something fun about getting up at 4:00 in the morning for tennis. It's one of those silly little things that makes me feel like a "real" fan. Much better than the tape-delay broadcasts.

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This. I like it. Most good matches are from 4 am onwards for me (Europe), so if you wake up early, you can watch all morning. Stan-Djo concluded at 2pm, lovely.

The USO is harder than the AO if you don't have a job and live in Europe.

It's sad that Rafa isn't here (yes it sounds like I'm lying because Rafa is troublesome for Roger) but so far, this AO has been so entertaining.

Maybe the best AO in awhile?

6. Anderson def. Verdasco in 5 --> I loved Anderson's striking.

5. Simon def. Monfils in 5 --> Pushfest but so much drama. A french royale of clashing willpower. Both were physically not at their best...

4. Chardy def. Del Potro in 5 --> Chardy does some beserk ballstriking against a Del Potro who was heading towards end of 2012/ start of 2013 in brilliant form having recorded 2 victories against Roger in indoor tournaments.

3. David Ferrer def. Almagro in 5--> The 4th seed gets tested and overcomes Almagro with a 2 set deficit and Almagro had many chances to serve out the match. A superb comeback from one of the best defenders.

2. Federer def. Tsonga in 5 --> I won't lie... Tsonga really scared me... He was winning close to 90% of rallies over 9 points and really took it to Roger with aggressiveness. The 2nd seed really was tested. Roger was lucky in some ways because could have gone either way. Tsonga played stunning tennis in terms of baseline exchanges but Roger's variety saved him. Roger Rasheed has really lifted up his game and I have a feeling he might break through at perhaps the FO or Wimby. But, I'm happy Roger won.

1. Novak Djokovic def. Wawrinka in 5 --> So the 1st seed was tested first before Ferrer and Federer were tested with 5 setters. Djokovic is simply the god of absolute defence... He can push back 90% of supposed winners that comes at him.... The crowd was really excited.. Match could have gone either way but pushing was once again faithful for Novak and makes an epic 5 setter once again... Wawrinka's display of backhands was probably the best you'll ever see in awhile... The best match of this AO for sure and maybe top 3 match at least for the year.

I hope David Ferrer vs Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray vs Roger Federer will live up to expectations.... Hopefully, even better than these matches...

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Yea! It's funny, every time I turn it on something great happens. I didn't want to watch Djoker blow out Wawa, but I thought "Oh watch it for a few minutes", 5 hours of probably the best match I've ever seen later I was just jazzed.

Tonights Fed match made me nervous, Tsonga CAN PLAY! That and Fed was off, I hate that, bad service game and missing stupid shots, but yea Fed is Fed and he seems to give 100% 100% of the time, but that could have gone Tsonga's way, two tiebreaks......We were biting our nails.

i like the amount of attacking in the tournament so far, and a bit of revival of the one handed backhand.

Successful attacking tennis:

- Chardy vs. Del Potro: Chardy came to the net so much, it was beautiful and effective. Great aggressive slice backhands to approach off of, yes, they are aggressive when they are that low and deep.

- Tsonga vs. Gasquet/Federer: Tsonga great at the net, aggressive from the baseline. Fought to defend against match points/breaks rather than defensive grinding.

- Tomic vs. Federer: While he was trounced by the master, he did put up more of a fight and showed that he's not just a baseline junkballer. Federer displayed what real tennis is in that match.

- Brands vs. Tomic: So much successful serving an volleying from Brands. It was nice to see the lost art used on such a slow surface.

- Almagro vs. Tipsy/Ferrer: Great to see him blast Janko away with the backhand before the guy gave up and good to see him being able to use aggressiveness strategically against one of the best defenders in the game, choke notwithstanding.

- Wawrinka Vs. Djokovic: Stanislas' five hour display of how a one-handed backhand can not only go toe-to-toe with one of the best two-handers around, but also that an attacking style can be sustained for 5 hours against, arguably, best retriever in the game.

There is definitely a novelty about the AO. There's virtually no build up to it and the next largest ATP events are almost two months after it, yet, it holds huge implications for the rest of the year.

Also, living in the U.S., it's definitely fun to be watching live, epic matches in the middle of the night (even on school nights)! I usually fall asleep with the TV on so I can get a few glimpses of the night matches. I always stay up to watch the final, though, and watch it through to its conclusion. I love this sport!

It's a close call but I'd have to say Wawrinka in the 4th round was more exciting to watch, the way he pumped up the crowd, and the way he saved match points and heck the way the match ended itself, Wawrinka was getting the crown into it well after 4 hours and running around kicking the tennis balls like soccer balls, really enjoyed watching him

Tsonga last night gave us a real treat, went all out served huge and stepped up, loved how graceful he was after he lost

I usually sacrifice sleep (and my productivity at work the next day) to stay up and watch the night matches (which start at 2:00 or 2:30 a.m. where I live), but just couldn't do it this year. So, I've missed some great matches. Sure, I record them on the DVR, but I never end up watching them after the fact, other than maybe a few highlights. It loses all of its impact.